The Curse of Monkey Island™

It actually pains me that this absolute masterpeice from my childhood is being offered for such a low price. An absolutely incredible game and still my favorite game of all time, the music, the graphics, the stories, the puzzles, there is absolutely nothing i would change about this game.

This is easily one of my favorite adventure games. Having gotten the physical release of the first three entries in the series when I was a kid, I can't remember how many times I've beaten this game. While this version of the game is running absolutely fine, it's disappointing to see that it only includes the English version. Usually, I'm totally fine with English only, but as someone who grew up with the German version, there is just a lot of the atmosphere and feeling of nostalgia missing that I would've wished this release included. This is why I heavyheartedly have to redact one star. Should additional languages be added, I will happily change my review.

It's been so long since I last played 'The Curse of Monkey Island'! What a great time to revisit this gem now that it is available on GoG. After the divisive conclusion to Ron Gilbert's 'Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge', it's hard to imagine how to continue the 'Monkey Island' series. Game designers, Jonathan Ackley and Larry Ahern, took the reins and produced a game that managed to honour the work that Gilbert had done, tie up (m)any potential loose ends from previous games, retain -- or at least emulate -- the first two games' sense of humour, respect the 'Monkey Island' traditions, and create something original. All the while, Ackley and Ahern gave us a classic that just may be THE BEST 'Monkey Island' game to date. 'The Curse of Monkey Island' is easily the most visually stunning 'Monkey Island' game in the franchise. Like other LucasArts game of this era (i.e. 'Day of the Tentacle and 'Full Throttle'), the artwork still holds up 20 years later and looks great on modern PCs. Would a HD remaster version be welcomed? Of course! But honestly, 'The Curse of Monkey Island' doesn't really need it, especially when the score, sound effects and voice acting still sound fantastic. It's hard to imagine anyone else whose voice acting that can embody Guybrush Threepwood's naive optimism and determination as well as Dominic Armato's. 'The Curse of the Monkey Island' is not an easy game. There are a few puzzles that require outlandish solutions (i.e. some trial and error guessing, "brute forcing', and looking up hints or walkthroughs may be required), but the game does not frustrate. It's fun and has great pacing, interspersed with more insult sword fighting, (a skippable) arcade naval combat, and cinematic cutscenes that Walt Disney would have approved. If you haven't tried 'The Curse of Monkey Island' yet, now it's the time to do so!

That is all.

MONKEY ISLAND 3 = LIFE MURRAY! = ROLLING THROUGH THE GATES OF HELL!